So, sum up all your thoughts on the season and the highlights/your favorite parts of the telecast...

I'll start (obviously).

Although I'm still in complete and utter shock, I have to say that Crash winning Best Picture was the perfect way to top off this Oscar season... by throwing every precedent and record out the window.

I was completely overwhelmed by the Brokeback support as the Oscar season progressed. I actually thought it wasn't Academy material and did not have a chance of winning but really got swept away with the hype. It was definitely an Oscar season like no other. The three biggest films positioned to be the front-runner fell one by one and only one made it to a nomination and 0 wins while Crash came from behind and gained enormous momentum at the end. But, all in all, given the highly political and independent scope of the season, I thought they got it right on so many films and categories.

And now the Oscar telecast...

Best Dressed: I don't care about this stuff, but OMGGG Jada Pinket-Smith's dress was the best shade of blue and overall most amazing color I have ever seen. I LOVE that blue!!!!

Serious surprises/highlights:

1) The Oirginal Score presentation. Aside from being an astonshing presentation for all the music clips, when the Brokeback started, I felt I was transported to a different place. That music gets to me so much and afteroverplaying it, I didn't think I'd still be as affected but it was the biggest impact I've had yet from the music for that film. I predicted it to win, but was seriously thinking Geisha would win, so a great moment!

2) It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp. I couldn't decide which one I wanted to win more. But when Bird York started singing I remembered what it was about that song that made it paractically the only thing I listened to for two weeks in May. Regardless of who I wanted to (ending up overwhelmingly to be In the Deep), I did not expect the H&F song to actually win and I don't think it was well deserved AT ALL. And the performance let me down as well!

3) Cinematography: Giesha winning was utter surprise! I expected Brokeback to win this even though New World might have deserved it more and probably the best one (KK) was snubbed. But still, I thought Brokeback would walk away with 5 and I was left with a big question mark after Geisha's win!

4) Crash for Best Picture. I think I really liked the Crash backlash and hate on this site because it gave me more reason to pull for Brokeback. Yes, I am still in shock. And yes, omg I'm gay and I was pulling for Brokeback all the way, big whoopdi-do. I had a little more invested in a Brokeback win (personal matters) and that's why I wasn't rooting for Crash. But after all is said and done.... after all the dust is settled... after I've gotten over another step-back... I do think Crash was an amazing film and STILL the complete negativity and backlash for the film is one of the most baffling things I have ever experienced. I still don't get why it was so hated.

I don't want to comment anymore on the Crash/Brokeback thing beause it won't make a difference anymore. Arguably, the best picture did win and I may have already had my peace with it.

The telecast was good. I didn't think it was bad and I didn't think it was that great either. Jon Stewart was okay. He could have been better, but you know what? I think we put these hosts to meet such high standards. I don't ever remember thinking a host met my expectations in the past several years. So, cut them some slack. The fake tv spot things were funny and OMG how many video montages did they have? I never remember there being so many. when all is said and done, they still came up with quite a short running time. Under 3.5 hours.

Reese Witherspoon: I've made my peace with it, lol (even though they just keep throwing things at me to bitch about, $29 freakin million???) but she did surprise me and give a very good acceptance speech, though at one point she got a little too cliche.

I'll maybe think of more but that's all I got now!

While I don't think Crash deserved it, I agree. It was the perfect "Oh fuck!" ending to shake up and shock what had been a terribly predictable and boring year thus far.

That's one thing I'd never agree with. Yeah, it was becoming predictable if you just look at the last two months, but nobody thought BBM would've come this far 4 months ago. A nomination for Ang, sure, a picture win? No way. So I'd have loved to see a "predictable" ending because when you look at the development as a whole, the results of Brokeback winning would've been really unpredictable. Sometimes I think people getting tired of "predictable" winners too easily (because of all the precursor awards) to lose the sense that academy could really have made a statement and history by awarding Brokeback. It isn't easy for such a film to get this far, and there probably won't be another again. Now they also made a statement, but in a wrong way.

In the 210 minute telecast (At least it's getting lower), there were only a few memorable moments.


1. Jon Stewart - I hope he gets asked back. He was very good.

2. Ben Stiller - The green screen effect suit was a good goof.

3. Steve Carrell & Will Ferrell - Not the funniest thing I have ever seen, but anything with those two is memorable.

4. Resse Witherspoon

5. BBM script writers - Drunk people and jeans are funny.


The fact that Crash won, won't stick in people's minds for long. It was a memorable film when it came out (On DVD and in theaters) but it's been months since it came out in both. Usually a BP win will make people who have seen the film go out and watch it again, and people who haven't seen it go out and rent the film (If it's on DVD), but I don't think this is that type of film.

I thought John Stewart started a little slow (those opening jokes were kind of stale), but once he got rolling he was enjoyable. One of his more brilliant comments was pointing out how the rappers displayed so much more enthusiasm for their win then anybody else... it made me wish everyone would just get crunky when they win, and I don't even know what "crunky" is.

I also liked the Daily Show campaign commercials for the nominees.

As for the movies nominated, it was probably the year where I cared the least for any nominee. I had no interest in who won nearly every category, except to see how I was doing in my office pool this year (I didn't win).

Dkmuto's thoughts on the night:

1. I was fuming at the end. I literally felt like hitting something.

But then I got over it. And I'm okay now.

2. Jon Stewart is my hero, but I've gotta say, a bit of a disappointment. But great point, Raffiki, in saying that I don't think any host has met my expectations; Chris Rock certainly didn't last year. Stewart never bombed, I'd say (good ad libbing), but I was still a little bummed that he didn't bring the house down.

3. Clooney. Great speech. You know my thoughts.

4. Stephen Colbert's god-dust Keira Knightley cheekbones. One of the biggest chuckles of the night for me. And the "don't vote for these actresses with these CRAZY names!"

5. Reese. I was cringing at first, but her speech ended well. "I just want to matter!!!" Somehow that worked for me.

6. I thought the win for the Pimp song was ridiculous at first. But you know what, that's an awesome scene in that movie so, meh, why not.

And more thoughts later, perhaps.

Oh and Robert Altman didn't give it to the Acadmey like I thought, and hoped, he would.

(Mainly because he was my spoil sport pick.)

My thoughts:

Highlights
1. Memoirs of a Geisha now can be called "the winner of 3 academy awards" and "the most celebrated film in the 2006 oscar" despite of a 35% RT rating and some of the most biased attacks I've ever read from critics; (if it had a script with more heart, it'd have swept)
2. It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp winning; the performance is bad, but the win is well deserved;
3. Ziyi presenting Best Editing alone, and her English was marked better than the day before at ISA;
4. The opening segment with all the previous hosts;
5. Clooney's speech.

Lowlights
1. Crash winning best picture; I felt the whole room gasped and with the way Jack said it, everybody was waiting for him to say "oh, that's a joke; the winner is Brokeback Mountain". There were at least one second where the camera wasn't even sure that they should cut to Crash's crowd or stay with Jack.
2. Nothing came close to the final shock, so I couldn't even remember the prior lowlights.

You know what...

I slept on it and after being quite okay with it [Crash winning] before going to bed, I woke up enraged again, lol.

And I just realized...

when was the last time a movie that was not nominated for a golden Globe won for Best Picture at the Oscars?

Not nominated for Best Picture Globe?

Wasn't that The Sting? (73/74)

You can also say Chariots of Fire, but that one was ghetto-ized in the Foreign Film Globe